Various printed publications, patents and patent applications disclosing subject matter relating directly or indirectly to the methods, systems, devices and components disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, the following:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,681 to Howarth entitled “Visor mounted washer for goggles”        U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,657 to Smyth entitled “Quick release hose coupling”        U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,298 to Boxer et al. entitled “Sport hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,098 to Eger entitled “Portable liquid dispenser”        U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,635 to Porter entitled “Cyclist water supply apparatus”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,591 to Runkel entitled “Pressurized potable beverage drinking system”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,442 to Bakalian entitled “Remote control water device”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,041 to Ramacier Jr, et al. entitled “Quick connection coupling valve assembly”, May 31, 1994, assigned to Colder Product Co.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,024 to Kumagai, et al, entitled “Quick connector”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,260 to Krug entitled “Portable liquid container and dispenser system”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,404 to Zelenak et al. entitled “Personal fluid dispensing device”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,440 to Regalbuto entitled “Bicycle mounted squirt gun and fluid dispensing apparatus”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,368 to Bekkedahl entitled “Liquid dispensing apparatus for bicyclists and skaters”        U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,387 to Gleason, et al, entitled “Bladder frame backpack”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,305 to Hoskins, et al. entitled “Bite valve for hydration bladder”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,767 to Gardner, et al. entitled “Personal hydration system with an improved mouthpiece”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,827 to Rowan entitled “Beverage dispensing helmet apparatus”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,344 to Bradley entitled “Hands free personal hydration delivery system”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,168 to Gardner, et al. entitled “Personal hydration system with an improved mouthpiece”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,348 to Forsman, et al. entitled “Hydration system with improved fluid delivery system”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,998 to Forsman, et al. entitled “Hydration system with improved fluid reservoir”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,090 to Bailey entitled “Dual bladder sports hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,915 to Mares entitled “Pack frame assembly and hydration systems incorporating the same”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,015 to Choi, et al. entitled “Personal hydration system with component connectivity”        U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,613 to Kamisugi entitled “Portable pressurized liquid storage system”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,502 to Kreutzmann entitled “In-car hydration systems”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,243 to Forsman, et al. entitled “Hydration system with improved fluid reservoir”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,075 to Forsman, et al. entitled “Hydration system with improved fluid reservoir”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,688 to Choi, et al. entitled “Personal hydration system with component connectivity”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,299 to Forsman, et al. entitled “Waist-mounted hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,300 to Noell, et al. entitled “Hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 7,971,549 to Skillern, et al. entitled “Hydration system for kayak integration”        U.S. Pat. No. 8,083,105 to Reichert, et al. entitled “Pressurized fluid delivery system”        U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,283 to Staton entitled “Personal hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,785 to Wheatley, et al. entitled “NBC/CBRNE personal hydration system”        U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,425 to Lien entitled “Hydration device”        U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,226 to Davies, et al. entitled “Drink containers”        U.S. Pat. No. 9,375,742 to Yokan entitled “Motorized hydration system”        U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0180154 to Stone entitled “Apparatus for attaching a hydration device to a full face helmet”        U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0090981 to Ryan entitled “Portable hydration system usable with a protective helmet”        
The dates of the foregoing publications may correspond to any one of priority dates, filing dates, publication dates and issue dates. Listing of the above patents and patent applications in this background section is not, and shall not be construed as, an admission by the applicants or their counsel that one or more publications shown in the above list constitute prior art in respect of the applicant's various inventions. All printed publications, patents and patent applications referenced above or otherwise herein are hereby incorporated by referenced herein, each in its respective entirety.
Portable hydration systems adapted to be worn, carried or otherwise made available to a user often comprise a bladder disposed in a backpack, a hydration bite valve, and a hydration hose extending between the bite valve and the bladder so that the user can suck water or other drinkable fluid from the bladder through the hydration hose and the hydration bite valve. Such hydration systems are typically configured so they may be employed in a substantially hands-free manner, and are often portable.
Motorcycling and motorcycle racing, bicycling and bicycle racing, and auto racing are activities where drivers or riders can become dehydrated, especially in long or endurance races or events that can last many hours. In fast moving races or events, it is imperative that the driver or rider keep his or her hands on the vehicle or bike controls at all times.
In such races and events, however, racers or participants routinely wear helmets for head protection. Routing a hydration hose through, around or under a helmet, and arranging a hydration bite valve in a position that remains comfortable and usable over a sustained period of time for a helmet-wearing user, can be difficult or impractical. Adjustment or tinkering with a hydration hose or bite valve during such events is often not an option. As a result, conventional portable hydration systems employing bite valves, hydration hoses and bladders are not well suited for use in such races or events.
To overcome the problems associated with conventional portable hydration systems employing hydration hoses and bite valves, a few electrical pump fluid delivery systems have been developed which are capable of delivering squirts of fluid to the mouth of a user over a distance of a few inches, where the distal end of a hydration hose is positioned near the mouth of the user, and where the user typically actuates the electrical pump using a hard-wired switch. However, some of these electrical pump fluid delivery systems require as much or more manual interaction by the user as conventional hydration systems. In addition, including electrical and electronic hardware in a hydration system to permit enhanced control of fluid delivery can be cumbersome and heavy to implement, and lead to reliability and cost problems, such as relays, wires or switches that are prone to failure.
What is needed is a portable hydration system that can be used with ease, that is comfortable and reliable, and that does not require regular or excessive adjustment to operate properly.
Upon having read and understood the Summary, Detailed Description and Claims set forth below, those skilled in the art will appreciate that at least some of the systems, devices, components and methods disclosed in the printed publications listed herein may be modified advantageously in accordance with the teachings of the various embodiments that are disclosed and described herein.